How do you operate on an animal that needs to be underwater to breathe? That was the challenge faced by the team at Valhalla Vet, a veterinary clinic in Bogotá, Colombia, specializing in exotic animals, when two small goldfish arrived with neoplastic masses that needed to be surgically removed.
To save them, they had to do something that seems contradictory at first glance: take them out of the water, anesthetize them, and keep them alive while performing surgery.
The procedure, shared by the clinic itself on social media, showed how it can be done. In fish surgery, anesthesia can begin in an aquarium with the drug dissolved in the water, which the animal absorbs mainly through its gills. The method and dosage depend on the species and each patient.
Once anesthetized, the fish can be placed outside the aquarium on a soft, damp surface. But that doesn’t mean leaving it unable to breathe. In the video, the team calls the system installed next to its mouth “intubation”. Through irrigation or gill ventilation, water flows through the mouth, passes over the gills, and exits through the opercula. In other words, the fish is out of the water, but water continues to reach the organ it uses to breathe.
And it has to be done with extreme care. The skin and the layer of mucus that protects these animals can be damaged by a rough surface or rough handling. Asepsis is also essential: after the procedure, the wound will need to heal once the patient returns to the water.
But behind the striking procedure was a much simpler message. Valhalla Vet wanted to remind people that veterinary medicine isn’t limited to dogs and cats. Exotic animals also need specialized care, including those often viewed as “lesser” or easily replaceable pets.
“Fish also deserve specialized veterinary care”, the clinic reminded people. Because whether it’s a dog, a cat, or a small goldfish, the fact that caring for it is more complex doesn’t mean its health matters less. They are patients too and deserve the chance to be treated.